Sacrificing
by SpidersCrawling
Summary: Gabriel puts himself in harms way to protect Sam, and Sam isn't happy about it. PWP, gets angsty.
1. Chapter 1

"I really can't see why you're so upset, Sasquatch," Gabriel whined, stepping into the motel room after Sam. Sam was fuming, covered in the dried blood of the vampire nest they'd just ganked, and glaring at Gabriel.

The archangel had returned to them six months ago with no memory of what happened. He showed up at their door, only remembering one person, Sam. It became Sam's responsibility to nurse him back to health. Eventually his memories were regained, but he was still weaker after being brought back from the dead.

"Because, Gabriel, you called yourself bait and threw yourself into the heart of the nest. You could have been killed!" Sam snapped, gesturing to the plethora of injuries Gabriel had received during the hunt.

"Unless those vamps had some angel blade fillings in their teeth, I was fine, Sammy."

Sam rubbed the brim of his nose. "That's not the point..." he groaned.

"Then what the hell is the point? Why are you so upset?"

"What if we lose you again?!" Sam shouted, effectively silencing Gabriel.

The archangel's mouth opened and closed a few times. "Sammy... You're not gonna lose me. I'm am archangel, kiddo, I'm fine."

Sam looked down, seeming to take a sudden interest in the tear in his jeans. "We lost you once... You died once already Gabriel... Not again I can't-" Sam's voice cut off and he shut his mouth, his lips forming a tight line.

Gabriel lifted his hand, reaching out to place the comfort on Sam's shoulder, but he hesitated. His hand dropped into his lap as he mentally kicked himself for now seizing the moment. "You can't what, Sam?" Gabriel asked, urging the hunter forward. When Gabriel was brought back, he hardly remembered anything from the past 300 years. He remembered just one thing, just a name and a face that smiled down at him still. Sam Winchester. Sam had been his caretaker, always there to fuss over him and make sure he was comfortable. Despite complaining about the constant fussing, he loved it. He loved- ...He liked Sam and was grateful for everything he'd done for him.

Gabriel was pulled from his own thoughts by the hunter speaking in a hushed tone. "I can't lose you again..." Sam's voice trailed off and he lifted his gaze to lock onto Gabriel's warm, golden-hazel eyes. "Not now that I-" Sam paused and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not now, after I spent so long piecing you back together. You were hard work, Gabe, no way you're going away that easy."

Gabriel's expression brightened and a gleam of hope glistened in his eyes, only to quickly be diminished when Sam made himself clear. The archangel smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Relax, kiddo. I'm not gonna go anywhere. Can't shake me that easy, Sammy. You should know that by now."

Sam let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah...that I know. Just, please promise you'll be careful?" He turned to face Gabriel, his eyebrows knitting together in concern.

Gabriel felt his resolve crumbling at the sight of Sam's puppy-dog eyes. Damn...this kid could get him to do anything with that face.

He tried to keep up his playful banter, not wanting to seem like a softie. "Aw come on, where's the fun in being safe? Taking risks is one of the best parts of life-"

"Gabe." Sam interrupted, keeping his gaze determined, but pleading.

Gabriel felt the last of his will against the hunter crumble. "Fine. Alright..." Gabriel groaned, running his fingers through his hair before lifting his gaze to look at Sam. "I'll be safer, Sam. I promise..." he added. Gabriel hated making promises. Would he be able to keep himself safe if it meant putting Sam in danger? Not even a chance. It was as if Sam could sense his thoughts.

"And don't sacrifice yourself for me, either."

"Now hold on just a-"

"Gabriel I'm serious. Do you think I'd be able to live with myself if you have away your life for me again?" Sam demanded.

Gabriel suddenly felt furious. How could Sam think that he would be able to stand by and watch the man he- ...who made him better get killed?! "And do you think I'd be able to stand by and watch you die? No, Sam. Not a chance." His voice was stern, and Sam suddenly remembered he was still talking to an archangel. "If I was alive without you and I could have done something I... I don't know what I'd do..." All anger was gone from Gabriel's voice now as he stared down at his hands. "Sam, if I can stop you from dying, if I can keep you safe, I'm going to no matter what the cost. Even if it means killing thousands, getting myself killed, it doesn't matter. I'll do it."

Sam sputtered, his face twisting into anger. "My life isn't worth thousands, Gabriel!"

"It is to me!" Gabriel bellowed, taking a stride towards Sam and glaring up at him.

Sam's face relaxed as he stared down at Gabriel. He felt his skin heating up from their close proximity. Just lean down and...

"...Let me protect you, Sasquatch... It's what I was brought back to do..." Gabriel added, his voice now soft and gentle, any anger from before having vanished.

Gabriel couldn't help the inappropriate thoughts that were swirling around in his head. In his defense, he had a perfect view of Sam's long neck and slightly stubbly chin, and he couldn't help but yearn to pepper it with bites and kisses.

If Gabriel hadn't known better, he would have sworn he saw the hunter's gaze flicker down to his lips. But that couldn't be... It was absolutely impossible, it was...

Happening. It was happening.

While Gabriel was in his own thoughts, Sam had grabbed the archangels shoulders and attacked his mouth in a heated, desperate kiss.

Every muscle and nerve in Gabriel's body was alive and pulsing with electricity. He stood still for a moment, shock rendering him useless. But his senses finally kicked in and he kissed Sam for all he was worth.

The two became tangled in each other, Sam with one hand on Gabriel's back and another tangled in his golden hair, Gabriel with his arms wrapped around Sam's neck, fingering the brown locks he had wanted to touch for so long.

Sam let out a surprised moan when one of Gabriel's hands traveled down his back and gave his ass a squeeze. He felt the archangel smirk against his lips. Deciding to seek revenge, Sam captured Gabriel's bottom lip between his teeth. He sucked and nibbled on it, earning a gasp from the man he'd put back together and who, without even realizing it, had done the same for him.

Sam made the decision at that moment to get as many sounds from the archangel as he could, because he absolutely loved them.

The two men lay collapsed on the disheveled bed, attempting to calm their breathing. They were tangled in one another, limbs crossing over limbs and hooking around bodies. Neither was completely sure where one ended and the other began, but neither had the ability to care.

Gabriel was the first one to move, snapping his fingers to clean up the mess they made during their evening.

Sam still lay sprawled out on the mattress, attempting to calm his wild heart rate. His entire body was covered in a light sheen of sweat. He looked up to see Gabriel tracing the outline of the muscles on his stomach and grinning up at him mischievously.

"Ready for round three?" the archangel asked, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking in a way that made Sam want to kiss him senseless.

The Winchester groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm never gonna get rest ever again..." he grumbled, faking mild irritation.

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to go on without you-mmpf!"

Gabriel was cut off my Sam suddenly attacking him with another kiss. Both were sure that Dean and Cas could hear them in the next room, but neither cared enough to silence their moans.

Sam pulled away from their kiss, panting. He rested his forehead against Gabriel's. "I meant it you know..." he managed to get out between breaths.

Gabriel was busying himself with rubbing circles on Sam's hips. "Meant what, kiddo?" he asked, humming contently as Sam's lips latched onto his earlobe.

"What I said earlier... I don't think I can live without you, especially not now," Sam whispered, his warm breath ghosting over Gabriel's skin as he spoke

Gabriel frowned, his hands stilling on Sam's hips. He cupped Sam's cheek in his hand, maneuvering the hunter so their gazes locked.

He studied the hunter, searching his eyes. They were in dangerous waters. Both were put into near death situations almost daily, and now neither of them could live without the other. It was a recipe for disaster and eventual heartbreak, but Gabriel couldn't bring himself to pull away. He wasn't strong enough to distance himself from Sam for his own good, and he knew he'd regret it later.

Gabriel's thumb caressed Sam's cheek and he offered a smile. "Well then I guess we'll both have to just stay alive..."

**Epilogue** (very angsty and sad, don't read if you'd like this fic to not spiral you into depression.)

"Sam! Sam no! Sammy we gotta go!" Dean shouted, trying to hold his brother back from running to the fallen angel. ...His fallen angel.

Sam pushed his brother harder than he probably should have, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He raced over to the body once so full of life, so full of love.

He'd thrown himself in harms way yet again, despite what they'd talked about months and months ago. And now he was gone, taken from the world again. Charred wings graced the ground around Gabriel's body, stretching far across the floor of the warehouse they found themselves in.

Sam didn't even bother choking back his sobs as he crumpled to the ground by his love, his angel. He clenched the blood-stained fabric of Gabriel's shirt in his fists, hoping that maybe he would wake up.

"Please wake up..." he whispered between sobs. Gabriel's blood was seeping through his shirt and jeans as it pooled around him, and Sam knew he would have to scrub himself clean as soon as he got the chance. Any other day he would call his angel, ask him to help him get clean in the shower, which would of course lead to hours of fun and sex. But not today. No, not ever again.

Sam buried his face in his lover's neck. He still felt warm, still felt like he would wake up at any second and hell gotcha. "I wouldn't be mad... I swear... If this is a joke I promise I won't be mad but please, Gabe..."

It wasn't a joke. This wasn't some game, and Sam knew it. He knew that his angel was gone.

Sam placed a hand on either side of Gabriel's face. Lifeless, once glistening golden eyes stared up at him, unblinking and unfeeling. It almost didn't look like Gabriel without a smirk, a piece of candy, and a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Sam's face twisted into sorrow-filled anger. "Damn it, Gabriel!" He pounded his fist against the ground, ignoring the pain of caused in his knuckles. He continued to pound the ground relentlessly, not bothering to care that he'd shattered a few bones.

Eventually all energy left him and he collapsed against the body of his lover.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, just lying with his face buried in Gabriel's shirt and his fists desperately clutching the fabric. Sam was mumbling quietly into Gabriel's chest, repeating pleas with God over and over.

"Please, God... Please bring him back... Give him back to me... He doesn't know. I didn't get to tell him."

Sam pulled away from Gabriel's chest, once again staring at the lifeless face.

"I didn't get to tell you I love you, you bastard! Why did you have to leave me before I could tell you?!" he screamed.

Sam jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see his brother looking down at him with sympathetic eyes.

Dean offered a hand, silently pulling his bloodied and crying brother into his arms. As far as he was concerned, Gabriel was his hero. He kept his baby brother safe tonight, kept Sammy here with him.

Sam cried into his brother's shoulder while Dean rubbed his back, trying to offer some silent comfort. "Sammy, we have to go..."

"But... Dean I can't just leave him..." Sam croaked out. His voice was hoarse from screaming and crying. He honestly wouldn't be able to tell you how long he's been here, but judging by the cold that replaced the warmth of Gabriel's skin and the color now completely gone from his face, it's been at least an hour.

"We'll come back tomorrow... Give him a proper burial..." Dean offered.

Sam knew full well that it wouldn't be that simple. He could feel the breakdowns he would have I'm his future. Tonight when he washed Gabriel's blood from his body, tomorrow when he buried his corpse, and every night and morning when he woke up to an empty bed for a very long time...

**A/N: this got super angsty really fast. **

**Originally this was just supposed to be a cute one-shot, but when is anything ever just cute? **

**So I've successfully made myself sob, thanks for reading and I'm sorry. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First of all, thanks so much for the reviews! :D Second, I'm sort of considering continuing this? I really love Gabriel's and Sam's relationship, and I really love to write their banter. If I decide to continue it, then Gabriel will be found after the end of Season 8 (so it will have Season 8 spoilers, obviously), and we see him and Cas struggling with being human. Maybe have some fluff, clearly have some angst... What do you guys think? Ya or Nay? **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay so I should probably say that I don't own any of these characters. It was pretty unanimous that I continue this story, so by popular demand, here's the next chapter. This takes place at the very end of "Sacrifice", the Season 8 Finale (so it will have spoilers from that episode) and will continue on from there. Thanks so much for all of the reviews! And I'm sorry I sort of killed you all with angst in the Epilogue of the first chapter. This chapter isn't exactly happy either, but at least everyone is alive.**

Light. That was all Gabriel could see, a blinding white light. His entire body felt like it was on fire, burning him from the inside out. He wanted to scream, but he didn't know if he could. It felt like he was being torn in every direction all at once. ...And then it stopped. Suddenly the light and the fiery pain was gone.

The first thing that hit him was the smell. Wherever he was, it reeked of fish and pine needles. As his eyes fluttered open, he found that the world around him was dark. Was he dead? No... No he'd been dead, it hadn't looked like this. And the pain of dying was different than the pain he'd just felt. The pain of dying felt like his body was exploding, but then he relaxed into the darkness that beckoned him. It was hot white like his grace for a second, and then calm and black. This was different. This felt like he was being dragged through fire, forced back into existence and plopped down by a river. And judging by the sound of rushing water, that's exactly what happened.

Gabriel groaned. His voice felt hoarse, like he hadn't spoken in years. And then he realized, maybe he hadn't. He wasn't sure how long he'd been dead, all he knew now was that he was alive. The memories of his death came flooding back to him. He remembered the searing pain of the blade piercing his vessel, remembered his grace exploding out of him. His fingers ghosted over the spot on his chest where the wound would have been. Sure enough, there was a scar, just like the last time he'd been brought back.

Gabriel was jolted out of his daze by a crash in the water. "Woah!" he shouted, voice still hoarse.

What the hell was that? Gabriel pushed himself to his feet, wobbling and swaying as he tried to keep his balance. He stopped in his tracks when he saw it...

Lights shooting through the sky, but not just lights. Angels. Thousands of angels falling from heaven, their bodies burning white hot and landing on the earth below. His stomach churned when he realized he must have been gone longer than he was hoping...

Gabriel stumbled through the forest, gripping onto beaches and trees to keep himself upright. He had to find Sam, Dean and Cas. He snapped his fingers, expecting a cell phone to appear in his hand, but nothing happened. Another snap, still nothing. His eyes widened in fear and he looked to the sky again. He wasn't an angel anymore... Just like the rest of his family, he was...human.

Gabriel wobbled around, his gaze fixed on the ground. He needed another quarter, and then he could call Sam and find out where he was...or if he was alright.

Gabriel shook the thought out of his head and kept searching, desperate for another twenty-five cents. He almost leapt for joy when he saw a gleam of silver on the sidewalk. He snatched up the quarter and ran back to the pay phone.

Sam winced as he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He barely registered that it was his phone, just knew that it was something annoying and buzzing in his jacket pocket.

Dean looked down at the pocket, wrenching the phone out. He earned a questioning look from Sam, or as questioning as the younger Winchester could handle as he winced in pain. "It might be Cas," he explained.

"Cas?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Uhh...not exactly, Dean-o," the voice on the other line said.

Dean's mouth fell open at the sound of the voice. He never thought he'd hear it again. Dean looked at Sam, his eyes wide. "...Gabriel?" he asked, stuttering over his words.

At the mention of the name, Sam sat bolt upright. The sudden movement made him groan loudly in pain. His mind was reeling. Could that really be Gabriel?

"Yeah, it's me. I know, I'm supposed to be dead. Apparently I have a hard time grasping that concept. ...Where's Sam and why are the angels falling?" Gabriel asked, glancing at the sky again as he spoke. He felt his guy wrench at the sight of his brothers and sister plummeting to earth, but he swallowed the feeling and kept his composure.

"Sam is uh..." Dean glanced at Sam, who was clutching his stomach and gasping to bring air into his lungs. "Look Gabriel now isn't really a good time. I have to go, call back tomorrow or if you find Cas."

Gabriel cursed loudly when he heard the line click out. He slammed the phone against the receiver.

"Dean-" Sam gasped, clutching the rough material of his brother's jacket. "Call him back." His eyes were desperate, pleading with Dean to give him the phone.

Dean shook his head, slipping Sam's phone into his pocket. "Oh no, Sammy. We gotta get you safe first. We'll deal with Gabriel tomorrow, first lets get in the car and head back home..." Dean a voice was calming, trying to reassure his brother than everything would be fine.

Sam grabbed Dean's arm in a weak attempt of defiance. "Dean. Call him back, please."

"We don't even know if it's really him, Sam." Dean knew that this was the last thing Sam would want to hear, but it was the truth. This could easily be a trick.

Sam flinched at the comment, but nodded his head. He tried to push himself to his feet and, with the help of his brother, got into the Impala.

Gabriel slumped against the pay phone and brought his knees to his chest. If he was going to call back tomorrow, he may as well stay here for the night. He wanted more than anything to snap himself to Sam's side. He knew something was wrong with him by the sound of Dean's voice, and his stomach was twisting into nervous knots. Gabriel shut his eyes, squeezing them together and attempting to slow his pounding heart. He would call back tomorrow...once he found more quarters.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam woke with a start when his phone started to buzz. He instantly regretted the decision and he groaned loudly, squinting against the sun streaming through his window. With an irritable grumble, he flipped open the phone. "Hello?" he answered, unsure of why an unknown number was calling him.  
"Sam! Oh man is it good to hear your voice... Are you hurt? Why did Dean hang up on me last night?" Gabriel said through the phone, deciding that, right now, those questions were more important than the angels falling.  
"Gabriel?!" Sam sat up quickly, wincing in pain and scrunching his face up to stop another groan from escaping his lips.  
"Sam? Sam are you okay? You're not okay, obviously... Where are you, Sam?" Gabriel's voice was laced with concern, and it made Sam's heart clench. He missed his angel so much, and hearing his voice and how he still cared...  
"We're at our bunker," Sam replied, trying to push himself up out of bed. He failed miserably and collapsed in a heap of tangled blankets.  
"...Your what?"

Sam stumbled out of his room and into the main room of the batcave, where he found Dean talking quietly with Kevin and glancing at the table map. The normally plain map was lit up like a christmas tree, red lights decorating the entire globe in a seemingly random way. At the sound of Sam's stumbling, Dean looked over Kevin's shoulder. His face lost its hardened expression and instantly softened with worry.  
"Sammy, what are you doing out of bed? You need your rest," Dean said, quickly shuffling to his brother's air. Sam leaned into Dean's frame, gripping the railing of the steps until he finally made it to a chair and plopped down, heaving a relieved sigh.  
"Gabriel called back," Sam said, watching as Dean's expression changed instantly. Dean opened his mouth to speak and started to raise his hand, his pointer finger extended and ready to waggle and scold. Sam spoke again before he had to hear what his brother was going to say.  
"He told me where he is, and he's not far from where we were, which means Cas might be nearby too."  
Dean sighed and shook his head. He wanted to find Cas. Hell, he'd already sent out every hunter he was on good terms with to keep an eye out for him and contact him immediately if they found him. "Look Sammy I wanna find Cas as much as you do, but we don't know it's Gabriel. This could be a trap..."  
Sam scoffed, still managing to fix Dean with an exasperated look, despite his weakened health. "We've gone into higher risk situations, Dean. We have to be sure, because what if it is him?"  
Dean opened his mouth, but found he was at a loss for words. It wasn't a trap he was worried about, it was what a fake Gabriel might to do Sam. The younger Winchester had wept and grieved for months after the death of the archangel, what happens when he gets this glimmer of hope, only to have it ripped away again? Especially considering he's not in his prime health to start with.  
Dean didn't have to say anything, Sam could tell exactly what he was thinking by his brother's concerned expression. It was one he knew all too well, one that was questioning whether or not Sam would be able to handle something. "Dean, you really think I haven't thought he's been back before? Hallucinations, dreams that seemed real, faces passing by in the crowd..." Sam gripped the arm of the chair, forcing himself to swallow the lump in his throat. "We have to go to him, Dean. We have to."  
Dean was still hesitant. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Kevin. "I'll watch the map for activity while you're gone, Dean," the young prophet said, silently urging the brothers to go.  
Dean nodded his head in agreement, watching Sam's attention get pulled to the map. The young hunter pushed himself to his feet, lightly clutching his head as his vision blurred. His forehead felt hot, this was too much strain on his health. But he didn't care, he was going to Gabriel, and that was that. Sam cleared his throat, putting on a facade he knew all too well: that he was fine. "Are these dots...are they where the angels fell to earth?" he asked, glancing slowly between Kevin and his brother.  
Dean nodded, resting his palms on the edge of the table with the illuminated map. "We think so, yeah. When they started to fall, Kevin says this table went nuts and lit up light the fourth of July."  
Sam's gaze locked on two dots that were almost completely overlapping, just outside of Kansas. "This is about where Gabriel said he was," Sam explained, looking up at Dean.  
Dean followed Sam's finger, noticing that there were two dots that weren't far from each other. "One of those could be Cas, it's not far from the church we were at."  
Sam nodded his head, though he felt the effects of it as the room around him began to spin. "And the other could be the real Gabriel."

Dean was thankful that Sam was able to sleep in the car ride. He knew Sam could tell he was worried about him, he must have it written all over his face. He glanced at him far more than he should, considering he was driving. But Dean just had to make sure that his baby brother was gonna be okay. He looked better than he did yesterday, so that was something. But now they didn't have any way to heal him, and they didn't even know what kind of damage those damn trials did to him.  
Dean's grip on the wheel tightened. It just seemed like they had one thing thrown at them after another. Dean supposed it was just fate setting them up for their "destinies", guiding them down a difficult path so that they would become the pawns of heaven and hell. But even after they defied what God had written for them, they were still put into challenge after challenge after challenge. Dean prayed, he wasn't sure to who, but he prayed that this really was Gabriel. He prayed that the other dot was Cas. The two boys needed their angels. Dean vaguely wondered if he was still going to be able to call them angels, since they were now human. His stomach churned as he thought about what this would do to Cas. Surely the trench coated, now human, angel would blame himself. Dean shook his head and clenched his jaw, deciding to deal with Cas' guilt and pain after they found him and had him safe in the batcave.

Gabriel had been excitedly pacing back and forth for the past hour and a half. He started right after he hung up the phone with Sam. His heart was beating a million miles a minute, he was so happy to hear Sam's voice. It was like music to his ears in the middle of all of this madness. Gabriel had slept most of the night against the pay phone pole. The idea of him, the archangel Gabriel, sleeping was something to scoff at, but sleeping against a pay phone was downright laughable. One thing he was thankful for, was that he woke up with all of his clothes. He had already received some strange looks when he asked people passing by for change this morning, he didn't need to be naked as well. Gabriel bounced on the balls of his feet, his mind racing between hundreds of different subjects. Would Sam and Dean be on their way? Did they even believe it was him? ...Did Sam even want him to be back? The idea that the hunter might have been with someone else sent a white hot pang of jealousy through his entire being. He could hardly be mad, he was dead after all, but he didn't have to like the thought of it.  
Gabriel's mind also kept going back to why all angels had been expelled from heaven. He couldn't possibly imagine what they might have done to do that. Perhaps God has returned and cast them all down for almost destroying the earth? Though that didn't make sense, he would keep the few that had remained of good intentions and only acted on order. But how else could Gabriel be back? God was the only being powerful enough to bring back an archangel, or so he was told. Gabriel couldn't rule out the idea that his father had brought him back. He'd returned him to the Winchesters when Sam had needed him, perhaps this was the same thing. But he had learned how long he'd been gone. ...Over two years. Gabriel shuddered to think what the Winchesters had gotten themselves into during that time.  
When Gabriel heard the familiar purr of the Impala approaching, he was sure he'd sprouted wings again. He ran towards the sound, going as fast as his tired feet would take him.

Sam was awake in the Impala now, looking around the town, frantically searching for a familiar mop of golden brown hair. What if they got the location wrong? Or maybe Gabriel was wrong about where he was... Hell, what if it wasn't even Gabriel? Sam had reassured his brother that he would be fine if this wasn't Gabriel, that he'd had hope taken away from him before. But he'd never had this much hope. He'd had dreams, dreams of the tender touch of familiar lips and the gentle whisper of his name ghosting over his skin. But they were only dreams. He would awake in the same dusty motel room he'd fallen asleep in, and the wound in his heart would be reopened. He knew this would hit him hard if it wasn't true, but he didn't want to think about that right now.  
It was then that he saw him. All 5'8" of archangel sprinting towards the Impala, his army green jacket flying behind him like a cape. "Stop the car," Sam's voice was calm, and yet so very demanding and urgent.  
He didn't even wait for the Impala to stop completely before opening the door and jumping out like the car had offended him in some way, this earned him a concerned "Sammy" from Dean, but it was drowned out by his heart drumming in his ears. His body felt weak, ready to collapse, but he was running on pure adrenaline, running towards Gabriel. It had to be him, it just had to be.

Gabriel watched the tall, incredibly clumsy figure shoot out of the Impala before she had even rolled to a stop. The Sasquatch was running towards him, his Sasquatch. Gabriel could see instantly that Sam wasn't well. He had purple rims around his eyes, and his skin was pale and bruised in places, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was they were both alive, and they were so close to each other. So very close.

The two forms collided in a dramatic display, arms wrapping around each other. They both fell to the ground, completely lost in the familiar aura of the other. Sam could feel Gabriel's hands grabbing anything they could, running tenderly but desperately over his arms, chest, back. Sam knew instantly that this was Gabriel, there was no one that could fake the electricity Gabriel's touch gave him.  
Gabriel's face broke into a wide smile, his eyes crinkling shut at the sheer force of the grin. He began to pepper Sam's face with kisses, silently whispering a mantra. "Sam, Sam, Sam". Sam wrapped his strong arms around Gabriel, burying himself in the familiarity. He inhaled the angel's scent, he smelled of ashes, just like he had when he was killed, but he also smelled like candy, and coffee, and something oh-so-very Gabriel. Sam wasn't sure when tears started streaming down his cheeks, but before he knew it Gabriel's jacket was wet where his face once was. When the hunter leaned back, he saw that Gabriel too, was crying. They exchanged a tearful, elated smile. It was still so surreal, so very unfathomable that they'd be brought together against all of the odds. Even though Sam had never thought this before, he'd have thought God was on their side.  
Their kiss started out desperate, lips crashing together, both with roaming hands, gripping and touching anywhere they could, as if to make sure the other wouldn't disappear. But slowly it turned much more tender and slow, both simply in awe of the other. Sam had to pull away first, but that didn't stop Gabriel from places kisses all across his face and neck.  
Dean was unsure if the two were blissfully unaware of his presence, or if they just didn't give a crap.  
Sam placed a large hand on the side of Gabriel's face and let out a joyful laugh. "Gabriel," he said, the angel's name was the most beautiful word in Sam's eyes. A familiar smirk twitched at Gabriel's lips. "Hey, Samsquatch," he chirped in reply.  
Sam closed his eyes tight and pressed his forehead to Gabriel. "He's here, Dean. He's really here," he said. He knew his brother was standing behind him, he was always aware of Dean's presence.  
Dean couldn't help but smile at his brother. "Yeah maybe, but we have to check just to be sure," the elder Winchester said.  
Gabriel looked up at Dean, just now noticing that he was here. He knew he'd have to go through the routine, so this wasn't anything surprising. Gabriel pressed a kiss to Sam's forehead and he helped the hunter to his feet, now seeing how wobbly he was. Without his archangel strength, it wasn't as easy to let the, much taller, hunter lean against him, but he didn't imply that there was an issue. He kept an arm wrapped securely around Sam's waist, and Sam had an arm wrapped around Gabriel's shoulder.  
Dean unscrewed his flask of holy water, splashing a good portion of the water into Gabriel's face.  
"Was that much water really necessary?" Gabriel asked, wiping his face on his sleeve.  
Dean didn't reply, he just made the archangel roll up his sleeve. He sliced into his arm with his silver knife, satisfied that this really was Gabriel after he saw nothing but a small amount of blood seep from the wound.  
Gabriel rolled his sleeve down, silently curing that he couldn't heal the cut instantly like he'd always been able to. Also silently curing that he couldn't quickly fix whatever was wrong with Sam's health. "Now why don't you catch me up on why my entire family fell from Heaven, and why Sam here is so beat and battered and hardly able to stand."

**A/N: So a long awaited update. Originally I wasn't going to have the boys find Gabriel for a while, but since I made you all wait so long, I decided that sooner would be better. I hope you like the chapter, and thanks so much for liking the story so far! The good reviews mean a lot!**


	5. Chapter 5

Dean glanced over at Sam to see him leaning heavily on Gabriel. Dean knew that Sam's weight, being as tall as he was, was even hard on him. Normally he wouldn't worry about the archangel, but now that he was human, that weight couldn't possibly be easy to bare. Dean wanted to go out looking for Cas, he really did. And Sam and Gabriel could do with some catching up, so he decided that now was a good time to take his leave. "Why don't you two go to that diner over there. Have some food, and talk about...stuff?" Dean suggested, watching as Gabriel raised a confused eyebrow at him. "I'm gonna go and look for Cas, see if he landed anywhere around here."  
Gabriel's attention was caught at that. His eyes widened. "You...you don't know where my brother is? You've lost Cas?" his tone was urgent. How could they lose him? They were supposed to stick together!  
Dean raised a hand in defense. "Listen...it's not my fault he went off and-" he cut himself off before he could go any further. "Sam will tell you what happened. But I think Cas is somewhere nearby, and I may not be happy with him, we need to find him. I'll search, you two go talk." Without waiting for a response, Dean climbed into the Impala and drove off in search of his angel.  
Gabriel sighed and looked up at Sam, who seemed to be fading by the minute. He built up all the strength he could muster and helped the giant to the diner. "Come on, Samsquatch. Lets get some nutrition on you. And in me, I haven't had chocolate in...two years."  
Sam smirked at that, helping as best he could to carry his own weight. He was sure Gabe must be barely able to hold him up, now that his archangel strength was gone. Though he didn't appear to be making and fuss about it.

Gabriel watched with evident concern as Sam caught his breath. A walk from outside and to a booth should not be that difficult, but clearly Sam was not anywhere near his right health. The waitress was giving them an odd look, and why shouldn't she? Earlier that morning he'd begged her for a quarter, and Sam looked like he'd been to hell and back. And who knows, he might have. She approached the table, putting on a smile. "I see you found your friend?" she asked, glancing between Gabriel and Sam, who looked extremely confused.  
Gabriel offered a smile and he chuckled. "More like he found me... Thanks to your quarter," he replied, trying to make the situation seem as normal as possible.  
The waitress gave a nod and put her pen to her pad. "What can I get for ya?"  
Gabriel spouted off his long order. He hadn't had sweets in years, and the thought of that made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Hell he hadn't eaten in years. How he was calmly placing his order for the first meal he'd had in two years, he wasn't exactly sure. But it was a heck of a meal. A stack of chocolate chip pancakes, some strawberries with whipped cream, and a chocolate milk.  
Once the waitress was done, and made sure to eye the order strangely, she turned to Sam. The Winchester had an amused smirk on his face. Clearly he still found Gabriel's sweet tooth hilariously endearing, and incredibly annoying from time to time. "Just coffee for me. Strong please," he managed. The girl watched him with concern, but scurried off to get the order ready.  
Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sam. "Clearly death, for the second time, hasn't changed your taste buds."  
Gabriel let out a hardy laugh. "I don't think that's possible, Sammy," he replied. The smiled at each other for a moment before Gabriel's expression fell. He let his fingers brush across Sam's knuckles. "What happened...while I was gone?"

An hour later, and multiple cups of chocolate milk for Gabriel, Sam had finished explaining what the past two years had been like for Sam. That Cas had brought Leviathans into the world and killed Raphael (there was a sadness in Gabriel's eyes at losing his last archangel brother). That the Leviathans had destroyed Cas and taken over. (There was a panic replacing the sadness now) That the wall in his mind had crumbled, sending him to the hospital with visions of Lucifer (Gabriel had tensed considerably at that). And then Cas came back and took his burden and landed himself in the hospital (again, noticeable tensing). That they had defeated the leader of Leviathans but that Dean and Cas had both wound up in Purgatory, leaving Sam alone after Kevin got taken. (Gabriel looked sympathetic) That Sam had found someone, Amelia, that made him feel normal for a bit (suddenly the sympathy was gone, replaced with betrayal, jealousy, heartbreak, and rage.) At seeing this, Sam had assured Gabriel that he didn't choose her, and that he'd always choose him. This had made those feelings diminish, but they still lingered in Gabriel's gaze. That Dean had returned from Purgatory. That they'd found Cas again (Gabriel's shoulders relaxed, only to tense again when he heard that they lost him soon after). That they'd learned of the trials, and that'd they were the reason Sam's health was failing.

"The trials they...that were hard. The first one was killing a hellhound and bathing in its blood. The second was rescuing a soul from hell and...returning it to Heaven."  
"Who did you rescue?"  
"Bobby he um...He died, got shot by Dick... I had to go into Purgatory and-"  
"Wait you had to go into where? Sam, that's dangerous you shouldn't have-"  
"I had a chance to shut all demons into hell, I was going to do whatever it took. Besides I got out, thanks to Benny, that vampire that helped Dean out of Purgatory. And the third trial was to purify a demon, to turn it human again."  
"Is that even possible?"  
"Yeah, and I was almost there too but... Dean learned from Naomi that the trial, that finishing it would kill me. I wanted to do it-"  
"Sam-"  
"No let me finish. I wanted to do it, but then I didn't. I went with Dean. And the angel tablet...It didn't have a way to close Heaven. It had a spell, to expel all angels from heaven. Metatron, he tricked Cas and got him to finish the spell. And that's how all of the angels fell.. And we were right in the middle of that when you called. Maybe the spell brought you back?"

Gabriel shook his head. He looked thoughtful, and yet incredibly filled with rage. Metatron had betrayed the family, he'd cast out all of them and for what? So he could be up there alone? No, Gabriel had been alone... That wasn't a good existence. "Well if that's true, then all dead and trapped angels have been resurrected. And that means that Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, Uriel, and all the other dick heads are walking the earth. No... No I think that God brought me back again."  
Sam scrunched his nose in confusion. He looked more awake, now that he'd had some caffeine in him. But he still looked beaten and bruised. "Why would he do that?" he question, taking another sip of the, now lukewarm, dark liquid.  
Gabriel flashed a grin, but it was half-hearted. "Because I'm daddy's favorite..."  
Somehow, despite being sick, Sam still was able to fix Gabriel with a look that could send him back to the grave.  
The, now human, archangel chuckled, happy that he could still earn such bitchy looks from the younger Winchester. "No...No I think he brought me back for you. Just like he did last time, Sammy..."  
Sam furrowed his brow in confusion, but didn't push the issue further. "Alright well... I'd say we've caught up-"  
"At least as far as talking goes, yes," Gabriel interrupted.  
Sam rolled his eyes, though he could hardly help the smirk that pulled at his lips and the hopeful thud of his heart. "Why don't we go look for Dean, see if he found Cas?" he suggested.  
Gabriel watched as Sam rose from the table and tossed a few bills onto the glossy surface. The Winchester wobbled a bit, but caught his balance and wiped some sweat from his brow.  
"You sure you're alright to do that, kiddo? We could just wait here for your brother..."  
Sam looked at Gabriel and shook his head. "I got my angel back, Dean's still lost his... And he's lost him more times than I've lost you. They deserve to find each other again, and I'll do what I can to help."  
Gabriel eyes Sam as he walk purposefully towards the door, his steps uneven and unbalanced. Gabriel jumped from his seat and caught Sam before he took a header into one of the other customers. Sam gave him a confused, but thankful expression. "Well when you put it like that, how can I say no to looking for my baby brother?"

**A/N: Sorry this update was such a long wait! Next chapter will be in Dean and Cas' point of views, will they be reunited? There will be some minor Destiel moments, but this story is mainly Sabriel so... Thanks so much for the good reviews! I'm so happy you all like the story~**


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